hooton



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. 1v1. BOUTON( INDIGATDR AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS. No. 373,892.

llllllllllllllllllll II l' |||Ill|IIIlIIIillllIlIlIHllIHIIIIIIIIIIllll:Aw e 1 Patented NOV. 29, 1887.

(No Model.) 4sheens-sheet 2.

y M.y M. HooToN.` kINDICATOR AND ADVERTISING PPARATUS.`

No. 373,892. Patentemov. 29, 1887. .H6 n v j J5 w .I I i j 9 1 jf? f! ial j? l ci .I J

@l A J3 M g 4@ ,2z

NA PETERS, Frwwulhognpher. wnhingmn, D. C.

' 4 sheets-sneer 3` M. M. I-IOOTON.

INDICATOR AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

(No Model.)

Patented NOV. 29, 1887.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

M. MyHoOTo'N.

i INDICATOR AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS. No. 373,892. l Patented Nov.29,-188'7.

' N. Puma mw-umugmpher. wuhingmn. u4 c4 llNITnD STATESv PATENT f- FFME@MARSENA M. HCOTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLlNOIS, ASSGNCR TC HIMSELF AND CHARLESG. PAGE, OF SAME PLACE.

INDICATOR AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 3'73.892, datedNovember 29, 1887.

Application tiled July 2l, 1884,

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, MARSENA M. HooroN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, vin the county of Cook and State of Illi- 5 nois,have invented a new and useful Indicator and Means for Advertising; andI hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings,.forming part of the to same.

An object of this invention is to provide novel and improved meanswhereby a set vof cards can be practically, efficiently, andeconomically utilized as a means in cars for successively indicating atthe proper times the stations or crossings to which the car or cars isor are approaching, and also for displaying to the passengers suchadvertisements as may be placed upon the cards alongside the names 2o ornumbers serving to indicate the names or numbers of the streetcrossingsor stations along the route. y

A further object is to provide a novel, simple, and efficientstreet-crossing or station indica'tor which can be conveniently iittedwithin a car without requiring any material alteratiouin theconstruction ofthe car as usually made, and which can be convenientlyoperated by theconductor from either end of 3c the car, so that, nomatter at which end of the car the conductor is standing, he can operatethe indicator and thereby notify the passengers of the crossing orstation to which the car is approaching without calling out the same andwithout opening the car-door, whereby the objectionable feature ofconductors or other attendants indistinctly calling out crossings orstations can be dispensed with and the constant opening of the 4car doorin cold 4o weather avoided, in addition to which said feature the cardsare rendered available for advertising purposes, so that at such time asany one or more advertisements may have been displayed for the timeagreed upon, and it is desired tovreplace the same by new advertisements, said card or cards can be replaced by new ones at a small expenseand without removing the remaining cards or in any wise @hanging thelconstruction or arrangement of 5o the devices for manipulating thesame.

A further object is to adapt said apparatus Serial No. 138,334. (Nomodel.)

either for service in a street or railway car, or for use as a devicefor displaying photographs in hotels or other' public or privateplacesas,`for instance, photographs alternating with 5 5 business-cardscan be successively displayed where the apparatus is to be used inpublic places, or the cards can be omitted where photographs alone aredesirable.

To such ends my invention consists in the 6o matters hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In an apparatus embodying the principles of myinvention a suitablecasing or boxis pro,- vided with two card-receiving compartments, whichare connected together by a single cardpassage arranged adjacent to thefront of the box,whereat an opening is provided .through the front wallof one ofthe said compartments, in order to expose the top or front cardof a pack of cards contained within said compartment. The top or frontcard of a pack of 'cards in either of the two compartments is normallyheld against the inner front wall of j the compartment and in line withthe cardpassage by means of anysuitable construction of spring-followeror spring-backing arranged between the cards and the rear wall of thecompartment, each compartment being provided with such an 'arrangementof springfollower for the purpose aforesaid.

The box or casing is provided at its front side with two independentcard-shifting slides, each arranged to reciprocate over one of the twocompartments. rlhese slidesare respectively arranged at opposite sidesof but both in line with the card-passage, and each slide is arranged toslide back or away from the card-passage to Aan extent which will permitthe top'card of apack within the compartment to which the slideisallotted to lie between the inner end of the slide and the card-passage,whereby when t-he slide is moved toward the latter it will push the cardthrough the cardpassage and carry it into the next compartment. By sucharrangement the two slides and the cardpassage are in one and the sameplane at the front side of the box, and in order to permit a cardwhichis being pushed through' the card-passage by either' slide tooverlap the follower in the next compartment adepressor movabletransversely to the plane of the slides IOO and cardvpassage is arrangedin front of or over each compartment at a point not far from thecard-passage. The depressor in front of one card-compartment ismomentarily operated from and by the slide which is being advanced overthe other compartment, the action being to depress the follower untilt-he advancing card has overlapped the same and to then retract or moveoutwardly out of the way of the advancing card.

Various mechanical contrivances can be devised for operating` theslides, and I do not confine myself to any special means forindependently operating the card-shifting slides, as such will readilysuggest themselves, aceording to the use to which the apparatus is to beput-as, for example, means suitable for operating the slides when theapparatus is hung up in a Streetcar will desirably differ in arrangementfrom means for operating the slides when the apparatus is placed inarailway-car, and, again, entirely different lneans may be preferablewhen the box with its slides and depressors is employed as a photographshowcase or album.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of one of the interiorcorners of a streetcar with my indicator and advertising device appliedto one end ofthe car, with a cord shown passing from the apparatusthrough the said end portion of the car. In this gure the eardoperatingmechanism is inclosed by a case secured to the wall of the car. Fig. 2is a front view of the apparatus removed from the outer easing shown inthe preceding figure and made of slightly-different proportions. Fig. 3is a side view ofthe same with the rod F at this side ofthe apparatusbroken away and the coiled spring removed for convenience ofillustration. Fig. 4 shows on a larger scale one of the bell-clappersand devices included in its actuating mechanism. Fig. 5 represents oneof the card-Shifters detached from its operating mechanism. Fig. (irepresents a centrai longitudinal section through the apparatus Shown inFig. 2, with the cards in pack form in one compartment and the top cardin the act of passing to the adjoining compartment. Fig. 7 is a likeview, but with a pack partially formed in each compartment and a card inthe act of passing from one compartment to the other. Fig. Sis atransverse section taken through either one of the card-Shifters and itsadjunets. Fig. 9 is a section taken transversely through one of thedepressors and through the box at one side of its central partition.Fig. 10 is a face view of the apparatus made of somewhat differentproportions Afrom that shown in Figs. 2 to 9, inclusive, and adapted fora case of the conformation shown in Fig. 1. This said Fig. l() alsoillustrates means by which the card-Shifters can be alternately operatedor brought into action. Fig. l1 is a view similar to the precedingligure with the means for operating the Shifters ap plied to operate theupper shifter, while in Fig. l0 said means are applied to actuate thelower one of the two card-Shifters. Fig. 12 is a side view of the samewith the outer casing in vertical section, in which view the spring andsupporting-rod therefor at this side of the apparatus are removed forconvenience of illustration.

Referring by letter to the several figures of the drawings, in whichlike letters denote like parts, A indicates a box or casing, which canbe made of any suitable dimensions and of wood or metal, or both, asmaybe deemed most desirable. The box A is provided with twocompartments, B, conveniently formed by arranging within the box atransverse parlition, A, situated at or abontthe middle of the box, asin Figs. (i, 7, and 9. Each compartment is adapted to contain a pack ofcards of such size as may be found best suited for the hereiirdescribedpurposes for which they are intended. An opening, A2, is formed throughthe front ofthe box, opposite one of thc cardholding compartments, sothat the top card of a pack in such compartment s hall be exposed, inwhich way the top or front one of two or more cards opposite thisopening can be seen and such matter as may be printed thereon readilyread. These cardholding compartments are connected or eonnnunicate witheach other through the medium of a passage, A3, formed near the front ofthe box and adapt ed to allow a carto be shifted from one compartment tothe other. The simplest way of providing this passage is to leave aspace between the front side of the box and the partition A. The objectof this passage is toallow one card at a time to be shifted from eithercompartment to the other, and being situated at the front, as shown, thepassage will only admit of the transfer or shifting of such card as maybe at the top or front of a pack of cards in either compartment. Thecards are lnaintained in pack form within either compartment and apressure constantly exerted against the pack, so as to keep the top orfront card thereof in line with the passage between the twocompartments, by any suitable arrangement of spring-bachi ng orspringbaeked follower, (such, for example, as may bc found in a varietyof card-holders,) in which way the pack will be constantly pushed towardthe front of the box with a yielding pressure, and hence the top cardwill always be maintained in position to be shifted from one compartmentto the other. It will also be seen that this spring backing or followerin a compartment accommodates itself to the size of pack, being pushedback as the pack increases in size and moving forward as the size of thepack is diminished.

In the present illustration the spring backA ing or follower consists ofa plate, C, between which and the back of the box are arranged springsC', tending to force the plate toward the front of the box.

It will be evident that various forms of springs for spring-backing thepack can be employed, the springs herein shown,which are IOO ISO

common `in apparatus for holding cards, serv- These Shifters or cardshifting slides are eachA formed of a plate arranged to work in a planeparallel with the front of the box, and preferably made somewhat widerthan the card to be shifted.

A card-shifter is provided for each compartment, and these card shiftersare guided by slots or ways A, formed longitudinally through the sidesof the box, near the front of the same.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the card-shifter has at oneend two corner projections, D, giving the effect of-a wide notch orrecess formed in the plate between its two front corners. The spacebetween these two corner projections is substantially equal tothe widthof a card, so that when the, card shifter is movedforward to engage andshift a card from one compartment to the other the card, being atone-end engaged by the shifter between the corner projections ot' thelatter, will, during the forward movement thereof, be steadied againstany side movement, and hence will be prevented from shifting sidewiseinto either guideway A4. l

Each 'card-shifter is provided with a handle, or with somesuitableappendage by which it can be conveniently connected with meansfor operating the same, which said means can consist of cords or levers,as desired.

As herein shown, a narrow plate or crossbar, D, arranged across thefront of the box, is secured to each card-shifter, oner of saidcross-.bars being provided foreach card-shifter and furnished with aknob, A, or with any device with which a'cord or hooks on cords can beconveniently connected. Each crossbar D2 is arranged to slide over thefront of the box, and is bent back at its ends, extending beyond thesides of the box, so as to bring its said ends in position to be securedby screws D3 or other suitable means to lateral wings or extensions d ofthe plate forming the cardshifter, these said lateral or side edgeextensions of the plate being extended out through the ways A4 at thesides of the box. This arrangement will be best understood by referringto Fig. 8, illustrating the card-shifting mechanism, embracing a platearranged to work through the slots A4 and a cross-bar, D2, attached atits ends to the extensions d, formed at the rear corners of theplate.

Each card-shifter, when moved forward, is moved against a yieldingspring resistance,

which, the moment the shifter is released, serves to throw the same backto its normal position, in which way the card-Shifters are both normallymaintained in such position that when moved forward therefrom theadvancing shifter will engage the top card of a pack in the nearestcompartment. Said spring resistance is effectively provided by means oflong spring-coils E. loosely arranged on stationary guide-rods F, whichare supported at the sides of the box.

As a means for steadying the card-Shifters, and also for providing thesame with abutments or shoulders for confining the springs on the rodsand for acting against the ends of the springs, so as to compress thelatter when either card -shifter is moved forward, each card-shifter isconnected with a pair ofsleeves, D, arranged to slide on rods F, wherebythe ends of the springs on said rods shall abut against the slidingabutments or sleeves D4. As herein shown, the lateral wingsor extensionsd of the card-Shifters are secured by the screws D3 to plates d', formedwith or rigidly secured to the sleeves Di, as best illustrated in Fig.8, and the rods F, arranged parallel with 4the sides of the box, aresecured at their ends to braeketeplates A, projecting from the cornersof the box, as in Figs. 2, l0, and 1l. A single spring-coil ispreferably arranged on each rod and between each opposing pair ofsleeves fitted to slide on the rod, it being seen that by thus employinga long springcoil the same will not be compressed or compacted to anobjectionable extent when either cardshifter is moved forward, since inalong coil the accumulation willbe more gradual and less rapid than in ashort spring-coil. The coil form ofV spring is herein employed asoccupying but little space, and in other respects being more serviceablethan any arrangement of bow or analogously shaped springs.

Assuming the cards to be all in pack form iu one compartment, as in Fig.6, it will be seen that the front face of the front or top card of thepack will be exposed through opening A`l in the front of the box. Thisfront card will be in the same plane as that occupied by thecard-Shifters and the passage between the two compartments, and hencelif the shifter back of said card is moved forward it will engage thetop card and push the same forward through passage A3 between the twocompartments; but as the follower in the unoccupied compartment or anycard upon the said follower will be normally held against the inner sideof the front of the box, and hence in the way ofthe card to be advanced,it becomes necessary to depress or push inwardly the follower to suchextent as shall leave room between the follower or any cards thereon andthe front of the box for the advancing card. To such end I provide anautomatically-operated depresso'r, which, during the advance of acard-shifter over one compartment, shall for a proper length of timepush back slightly the IOO IIO

follower in the next compartment, and thereby make room in front of saidfollower or any card or cards thereon for the advancing card.

Over or in front of each compartment, and at points adjacent to and atopposite sides of the passage A3 between the compartments, is adepressor, G, arranged to work through a slot or opening formedtransversely through the front of the box, one of said depressors beingprovided for each compartment. These depressors normally stand out fromthe front of the box, so as to allow the front card of a pack in eithercompartment to lie against the inner side of the front of the box, sothat said card shall be in the plane iu which the shifters and thepassage between the compartments are situated. While, however, a card isbeing pushed forward from one compartment to the other, asin Fig. 6, thedepressor in front of the compartment into which said card is beingpushed will be pushed inwardly, so as to depress or push inwardly thefollower in said compartment to an extent which will allow the advancingcard to lap over or pass in front of the edge of either the saidfollower or card thereon nearest the passage, in which way the advancingcard can wedge in between the follower or cards thereon andthe frontside of the box. As soon, however, as the advancing card has beenbrought into position lapping over the follower, as in Fig. 6, thedepressor will be moved outwardly, and hence out of the way of theadvancing card, so as to allow the latter to be still farther advanced,as in Fig. 7, in which a card shifter is shown in position to nearlybring the advancing card in position within a compartment into which thecard is to be shifted. It is understood that the cardshifter is advancedsufficiently to push the advancing card entirely through passage A andto leave the card over the follower in the compartment in which a newpack is being formed. The operation of each one of these depressors isthe same, one being brought into action during the forward movementofeach card-shifter, so that the cards from a pack in either compartmentcan be successively shifted there from to form a pack in the oppositecompartment. It will be observed that as soon as the depressor movesoutwardly and releases a follower underit the advancing card between thefollower and the frontof the box will keep the follower back as it isfarther advanced, so that the depressor is only necessary for allowingthe advancing cards to lap over the follower or any card or cardsthereon, after which the advancing cards will successively push back thefollower and cause the latter to yield to the gradually-incrcasing pack.

The depressors could consist of pins passing through holes in the frontofthe box and secured to cross bars outside of the latter; butpreferably' each depressor consists of a comparatively narrow plate. g,arranged to work through a slot, g', formed transversely through thefront of the box or case, as in Fig. 9. Each depressor is formed with orsecured to a vibratory yoke, the sides or legs G' of which are pivotallysupported at the sides of the box. These yoke-frames are bent so as tostraddle the box, and one yoke is widened at its middle, so as to lieoutside ofthe remaining yoke. Under such arrangement the middle portionof each yoke, which is constructed to provide a depressor, crosses thefront ofthe box, and is then bent down at the sides of the latter to ashort extent, after which the yoke runs outwardly or toward au end ofthe box, so as to form the legs G', which are parallel with the sides ofthe box and pivoted thereto. Each one of these legs has a cam, G2, (bestshown in Fig. 3,) which said cams are formed at or ucar the outer endsof the legs of the yoke.

rlhe depressors G are normally held in their forward position, as inFie. 7, by means of one or more springs, H, arranged on the front ot'the box or otherwise disposed so as to act upon the yoke-frames. Thesesprings also serve to maintain the yokes in such position as to bringtheir cams or projections in the path ot' projections carried by thecard-Shifters, so that when a card-shifter is moved forward it willengage the cams on one of the yokes and operate the yoke in order tomove the depressor thereon inwardly. Said projections carried by thecard-Shifters are conveniently formed ol' pins D5, projecting from thesleeves D'i toward the sides ofthe box. In this way, when a cardshifteris moved forward over one compartment, so as to advance the top cardfrom a pack in said compartn'tent, the pair of pins D5, carriedbysaid'advancingcard-shifter, will, during the first part of its forwardmovement, strike against the cams belonging to a yoke carrying thatdepressor which is over the compartment into which the card is to beshifted. As the pins strike and ride along these cams,the said yoke willbe tilted so as to throw its depressor back into the box, in order topush back or inwardly the follower under such depressor, and as long asthe pins are in engagement with these cams the yoke and the depressorthereon will be maintained in such position.

Fig. 6 illustrates a yoke maintained in such position as to bring thedepressor against a follower and to such extent in the box as to holdthe follower back in order to allow room for an advancing card. Thedepressor is kept in such position until the advancing card overlaps thefollower, as shownin Fig.6. afterwhich the pins ofthe advancingcard-shifter clear the cams and allow the springs to throw the depressoroutwardly and out ofthe way ofthe advancing card, as in Fig. 7. By sucharrangement a depressor is operated only during` a portion of theadvance movement ot' a cardshifter, and the mechanism is so timed thatthe depressors shall not interrupt the forward movement of a card fromeither compartment.

In order to give notice to the passengers in a car that a card has beenshifted, so as to call their attention to the name of the crossing towhich the car is approaching, and also such ICO IIC

IIS

advertisement as may be placed on thecard, a bell or bells will bearranged in such way that when a card is or has been shifted abell shallbe rung. As a convenient arrangement 'of bells and means for soundingthe same at the proper moments, I provideupon one ofthe sides r isprovided for each bell, each consist of an extension of a coiled spring,L', said extension being atit-s free end provided with a button forstriking the bell. Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4. eachspring L is arranged about a stud, M, secured on the box. 4Each of saidstuds has a shoulder, m, located ,Y above said spring, and upon saidshoulder is .endsof the clappers off from the bells.

arranged an oscillating plate d'r hub, N, provided with a stud orfinger, n, normally kept in the path of the teeth on an arm, K, of thenearest shifter by means of a spring, -N, attached to the stud M and tothe hub N. Each `hub N is also provided on its under side with` a pin,N2, and below said hub is arranged a stop, N, secured to the box.

The arrangement and operation of these.

parts are as follows: The springs Nl normally maintain the teeth orfingers n, on the hubs in the path of the teeth on arms K, carried withthe card-shifters, and when the clappers are at a state of rest thestops N3 keep the striking The tooth of an advancing arm, K, engages thefinger n of the nearest oscillatory hub and turns the latter so that thepin or finger N2 on said hub shall act against the spring-arm of the clapper and swing the same away from the bell, thereby winding up thespring of the clapper, and also winding up the spring which controls thehub. As soon as the hub is released by reason of a further advance ofarm K, the hub will-be instantly swung back by its spring, and

hence the clapper will be free to be swung back and sound the bell byreason of the unwinding action of its spring as well as by itsindividual spring action.

Obviously a variety of ways will suggest themselves in which a bellcould be sounded at each transfer of a card from one compartment to theother, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise mechanism, sinceinthis part of my invention the prominent feature is a bell and means bywhich at each transfer of a card the bell is rung or sounded.

The box can be made, as in Fig. 2, with its greatest length coincidentwith the line of travel of the cards; but in many instances, ow-

ing to the space available for the apparatus, it is preferable to makethe box wider and of a decreased length, as in Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Abox of these dimensions will require or can, if desired, be inclosed bya case, P, subst-antially of the shape shown in Fig. 1, although ofcourse the case can be made to suit a box of the form shown in some ofthe remaining figures where a box of such character is 'employed. W'herethe box is thus inclosed in a case P, the latter will have an openingcoinciding with the opening in the front ofthe box, and said case willalso have any suitable arrangement of door or hinged side or sides, soas to allow access to the box for the purpose of putting in or takingout cards from the latter. The box .will also be provided with one ormore doors or lids--sucl1, for example, as a sliding lid, Q, Fig. 3,which lid,however, can be hinged when found more. convenient.

This apparatus is especially applicable for use in street-cars, and canbe either permanently secured in the car at one end thereof or can betemporarily hung up in the car and secured by buttons or the like, sothat at the end of each trip the box can be moved by the conductor fromone to the other end of the car.

A variety of means can be adapted for operating the Shifters from one orboth ends ofthe car; and while the shifters could be operated `byslides, levers, or other analogous mechanisms, I have herein illustrateda cord as the operating medium, since the same can be conveniently runfrom the apparatus through the end of the car and terminate outside thelatter in a weighted button, which shall be within convenient reach of`a conductor standing on either end platform of the car. The cord orcords can pass over pulleys arranged in or on the car-walls, and as soonas the car has passed one crossing a pull on the cord will operate suchone of the shifters as the cord may be connected with, and therebyexpose a card indicating the next crossing to which the car isapproaching. These operations can be repeated until the end of the trip,

-at which time the cards from a pack in one compartment will have beentransferred to and collected in pack form in the remaining compartment.On the return-trip no handling of the cards will be necessary, since bychanging the connection of the cord with the shifting device the cardscanV in the same way as before be successively shifted back into thefirst compartment, in which they will collect in regular order and inpack form ready for the next trip. As theorder of the' cards is thuspreserved with relation to the required successive display of the cards,it will not be necessary to open the 4bx except for the pur! pose ofreplacing cards by others containingnew advertisements, or in the firstinstance introducing the pack.

A convenient way of operating the shifters where the apparatus is to behung up in a street-car is shown in Figs. 10, 11, and 12, in which Sdenotes the main operating cord, which can be run 'either waylfrom thebox, as in full or dotted lines, Fig. 12. rIhe cord passes over anysuitable arrangement of pulley or pulleys and at one end connects with across- IOO IZO

bar, T, arranged to slide along guide-rods U, which stand out from thefront of the box and are secured at their inwardly-bent ends to thelatter. The sliding cross-bar T is guided on these rods by eyes t or thelike on the bar encircling the guide-rods, one of which said eyes isshown in Fig. l2. The guide-rods should each have a stop, t', located ator about the bend at its lowest end, so as to prevent thc cross-bar Tfrom slipping over said bend when the cord is slaekened up. Cords XV areattached to the cross bar T, near the ends of the bar, and at their freeends each provided with a hook. These cords XV pass over or aroundpulleys w, situated at or near the middle ofthe box,on the frontthereof, and these cords are attached by their hooks to such shifter asis to be operated, for which purpose the bar D2 of each shifter can beprovided with a pair of eyes or staples,with which the hooks can bereadily connected. Thus in Fig. 10 the cords W are shown attached to theeross-bar D2 of the lower card-shifter, and hence by drawing on cord Sthe said shifter will be moved up or forward, and as soon as said cordis released the springs E will force the shifter to its original backposition. This attachment of cords is also illustrated in dotted lines,Fig. 12.

In Figs. 1l and l2 the cords W (shown in full lines) pass around pulleysw, and are attached to the cross-bar Dof the upper shifter, so that bydrawing on cord S this upper shifter will be operated. The pulleys wwill each be arranged in any suitable block, strap, or yoke forpreventing the cord from slipping off the pulley, in which case theblock or strap can be formed in any way convenient for permitting thecord to be removed from the pulley or trained over the same, as occasionmay require. Obviously, however, numerous ways can be provided foroperating the shifters, and hence I do not limit myself to any specialmeans. Thus this apparatus can be employed to advantage in a railwaycarfor indicating stations, in which case, in place of advertisements,distances between stations might be preferable. The apparatus could beset or hung up at one end of the ear and operated by a brakeman, whocould, in lieu of calling out stations, move the shifters through themedium of any suitable connection passing through a slot in the box andcase. The gong or bell would in this instance call the attention of thepassengers to the card thus exposed.

This apparatus could also be employed in any other connection wherecards are to be used in the manner hereinbefore describedas, forexample, the apparatus inclosed by an appropriate casing may be employedfor displaying advertisements in hotels and other public places, inwhich case the cards may be alternately provided with photographs and advertisemcnts, and the use of cords dispensed with, it being obvious thatmeans for operating the apparatus for such purpose could be providedwithout the exercise of inventionas, for example, a knob extending fromthe slide through a slot in the casing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. An apparatus forshifting and displaying cards and the like, provided with a pair ofcard-'receiving compartments connected together by a cardpassage, andtwo independent card-shifting slides, both in line with but respectivelyat opposite sides of the said cardpassage, each card-shifting slidebeing independently operative ofthe other an d operative over one of thetwo compartments, substantially as described,and for the purpose setforth.

2. An apparatus for shifting and displaying cards and the like, providedwith a pair ot' card-shifting slides, each arranged over one of twocard-receiving compartments, which are connected together by aeardpassage arranged intermediate of the two card-shifting slides, eachone of the card-receiving compartments being provided with aspring-followerarranged to maintain the top card of a pack in line withthe cardpassage and the card-shifting slide, substantially in the mannerand 'for the purpose. described.

3. The combination, with the two card-receiving compartments connectedtogether by acard-passage and each provided with aspri ngfollower, ofthetwo independent card-shifting slides D, both in linc with thecard-passage and each applied to reciprocate over one of the twocompartments, and a depressor, operating substantially as described, fortemporarily depressing the spring-follower in one card-receivingcompartment during the advancement of the cardshifter over the othercompartment, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the two card-receiving compartments connectedtogether by a card-passage, and each provided withaspringfollower,ofthecard-shiftingslides D,operative at opposite sidesof the card-passage, depressors G, each for temporarily depressing thespringfollower in one compartment during the advancement of one of thecard-shifting slides over the other compartment, and means,substantially as described, for operating the depressors by and duringthe forward Inovements of the card-shifting slides, for the purpose setforth.

5. The combination, with the box provided with two card-receivingcompartments connected together by a card-passage and each containing aspring-follower, of the cardshifting slides D, operating substantiallyas described, and the depressors G, each connected with a pivotedyoke-frame and arranged to work through a slot formed transverselythrough the front of the box, said slots being located, respectively, atopposite sides of the card-passage, and the yokes being hung in p0-sition to be acted upon by the card-shifting slides, substantially inthe manner and for the purpose described.

6. In an apparatus for the purposes de- TOO lIO

scribed, the card-shiftin g slides, both arranged in one and the sameplane, and each arranged to be moved over one of a pair of communi?eating card-holding compartments, in combination with the springslocated between the card-Shifters and arranged to be compressed wheneither card-shifter is moved forward to shiftacard from one compartmentto the other, substantially as described.

.7. The pair of card-shifting slides D, each consisting of a plateprovided with corner pro-' jections, D', for the purpose described, incombination with the double cardholding box and means for operatingeither card-shifter independently of the other, substantially as setforth.

8. The boX provided with a pair of comuninicatingcard-holdingcompartments, each containing a spring-follower, in combination with thepivoted yokes, each provided with a de.- pressor, G, and one or morecams, G2, for the purposes set forth, and the card-shifting slides D,each carrying a projection adapted to engage a cam of one of the yokesduring a portion of the forward movement of the cardshifting slides,substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, the card-shifting slidesD, both arranged in one and the same plane and each arranged to be movedforward over one of a pair of communicating card-holding compartments,in combination with one or more bells and bell-actuating devicesvconstructed to be operated by and during the forward movement of eithercard-shifter, substantially as described.

10. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the communicatingcard-holding compartmcnts, in combination with the card-shifting slidesD, working in guideways A3, and the cross-bars D2, attached to thecard-shifting slides, substantially as set forth.

11. In an apparatus forthepurposeset forth, the card-shifting slidesD,arranged to work in a plane over two card-holding compartmentscommunicating with each other, substantially as described, incombination with springs E, supported at the sides of the apparatus, thecross-bars D2, and the sleeves D4, fitted to slide on guide-rods onwhich said springs are arranged, substantially as set forth.

12. In an apparatus of the character and for the purpose set forth, thecard'shifters, in combination with bells I, the spring-clappers L L. theoscillatory hubs N, the stops N2 N5, and the arms carried by the cardshifters and adapted to actuate the hubs during the for! ward movementsof the card-Shifters, for the purposes described.

13. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the card-Shifters, incombination with an operating-cord, a cross-bar, T, sliding on guides atthe front of the apparatus, the cords W, by which said sliding cross-barcan be connected with either cardshiftenand pulleys for guiding saidcords, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination, with a box provided with twocard-receivingcompartments connected together by a single card-passageand each containing a springfollower, of means, substantiall y asdescribed, for shifting the top card from a pack of cards in eithercompartment through the card-passage and into the other compartments,means, substantially as described, for depressing the follower in onecompartment ata time during the advancement of a card from the othercompartment,and means, substantially as described, for relieving thepressure upon said follower as soon as the advancing card has advancedsufficiently to lap over the follower, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name in the presence ofthe two subscribing witnesses.

MARSENA M. HOOTON.

-Witnessesz l W. W ELLIOTT,

WILL R. OivionUNDRo.

